Although many think that Ogden Nash penned this little ditty (or a variation of it), in fact its true authorship is unknown. Whoever created the cheerful rhyme may have done so on a day like today, where we have been liberated from a deep freeze and skyrocketed to a blistering 12ºC. Sunny and almost too bright, I might add.

What a perfect day to pick up the newly released Spring issue of the LCBO Food & Drink magazine.

I have my copy marked up already with my wishlist of dishes to try in the weeks and months ahead as produce comes into season:

It is a fun read. Of course I felt wooed by some of the delicious accompanying recipes (even if I have to wait until late June for those garlic scapes) –Sweetbread “Double Down”; Garlic Scape and Spinach Salsa with Chicken; Bacon Smoked Cheddar and Tomato Crostini with Asparagus; Fire Roasted Shrimp with Guacamole and Chili Honey.

Are there any trends you see coming that should be added to Nancy’s list?

Lastly, I have to give a shout out to Sandra Van Aert, organic & free-run egg farmer from Watford, Ontario. (Approximately 60 kms west of London). She is a second generation farmer at that! Sandra is featured in Cynthia David’s Spotlight segment called The Shell Game. I just can’t imagine housing 24,000 hens. Back in my day, all our hens had names. Unfortunately you will not see ‘Van Aert’ on an egg carton. Something that I hope will change as more and more consumers are wanting to know their food source and who is being entrusted to deliver a superior product. Hey Sandra, I prefer my eggs soft-boiled too!

Plan ahead: The Early Summer issue hits the stores 8 weeks from today on Wednesday, May 2nd.

A few things drew me to the Coconut Lime Clouds in the Holiday issue of the LCBO Food & Drink magazine. First, I love lime. Second, I love coconut. Third, it is a sweet that can be enjoyed by my party guests with a gluten sensitivity. Full credit to Christopher St. Onge at Food & Drink for yet another beautiful recipe.

Tips:

Bring your eggs to room temperature. Don’t miss this important step. It maximizes the volume when beating the eggs.

Make sure to add the sugar gradually to the fluffy whites when beating. If you add it too fast, your eggs will ‘fall’.

Be careful not to over beat your egg whites.

Go easy on the cornstarch. Do not pack it when measuring. It helps to keep the meringue ‘dry’ but you don’t want an overwhelming cornstarch taste.

Make sure you have a solid 2 teaspoons of the lime zest. It really gives the cookie zing. The Lee Valley microplane rasp is great for getting the perfect zest.

When the cookies have completed their second hour in the oven with the heat off, continue their cooling on the kitchen counter. Leaving them to cool in the oven will mean further baking (all be it at a very low heat) and will make them more crunchy. (Though, perhaps a texture you are striving for.)

When you serve them on a red plate or a small white plate on a red tablecloth, their subtle lime green will be more pronounced on contrast.

In a small mixing bowl, combine coconut, lime zest and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until mixture holds stiff peaks. Add vanilla extract and blend briefly to combine.

Fold in coconut mixture by hand.

Drop a scant tablespoonful at a time onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, allowing 1 inch between each cookie. Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and continue baking for an additional hour. Allow to cool completely before removing from parchment.

Curious. I didn’t jump into the much coveted Holiday issue of the LCBO Food & Drink magazine like I usually do. Plus 15ºC today likely had something to do with it. Oddly, my bottle shopping confreres were decked in wool pants, socks, heavy shoes, fall coats and scarves when cruising through the liquor store this morning. I, on the other hand, dressed more appropriately for the weather Light weight fashions in keeping with a dreamy Disney vacation. And I was still hot. Wouldn’t they be sweltering?

So everything wintery and frosty and jingly about Holiday just isn’t working for me yet. It is important to know that the rule in my house is that Christmas starts the day after Remembrance Day. In 3 more days I should be contemplating putting up my tree. I now know what it feels like to do Christmas in Florida.

I peeled through the pages hoping to be captured and launched into the season. Eventually I did let go. Partly aware of my hosting obligations soon coming on me. Plus my strong desire to be ready and awesome. I do love the Holiday issue for the inspiration it lavishes on us as we go about planning our feasts of this and nibbles of that.

My list of wants ended up being many, and here are a few of my top picks:

Coconut Lime Clouds and White Chocolate & Clementine Shortbread Sandwiches (From White Delights by Christopher St. Onge) * Christopher is running away with this issue with 5 knock out choices for the cookie platter. Look at them all.

Hot Boxty and Lemon Posset (From Boxing Day Specials by Marilyn Bentz-Crowley) * Have you ever heard of Boxty and Posset?

Spiced Scallops with Blood Orange Salsa and Chilled Orange Salad with Honey and Grand Marnier (From Citrus Season by Lucy Waverman) * Please, please, please pay attention to her tip on how to do ‘special cut oranges’.

There is a section entitled Thank You! by Cobi Ladner and Victoria Walsh. It is wonderful to labour over making high quality homemade gifts for your many hosts this season. But I have seen some real fails. Remember, it is not about you but your host. No fudge for the diabetic or spicy nuts for the wildly allergic. Nothing smelly for the asthmatic. You get the idea. Make it all about her/him. Make it very special. And for sure, it can still be homemade.

I favour the old familiar holiday jingles that should be belting out everywhere in just a few weeks. The Holiday Playlist by Rick Shurman and Earl Torno took a departure from tradition and focused on a theme more in tune with ‘reconnecting with family and friends’. A cute idea. Though I am still puzzled by the choice then of Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. I guess some reconnections just aren’t meant to be. Check it out on iTunes.

In Inspired Ideas by Brenda Morrison, is a definite GOTTA HAVE. Cool Ideas, showcases the Prepara Ice Balls. I am a faithful user of Lee Valley Tool’s Ice Lantern, filling them over and over with boughs of pine and cedar and a few fresh cranberries. So it is no surprise that I would shape shift to orbs filled with slices of lemon, mint leaves or rose petals. Now, to go about sourcing them in Ottawa.

I have to think there is extra sweat that goes into making the Holiday issues extra glamorous. Food styling is everything. It has the very important role of conveying the seduction of the dish glossed up in the pages before you. When successful, you can smell the dish and want to lick the pages. A tip of the fork to the food styling team of: Ruth Gangbar, Terry Schact, Heather Shaw and Christopher St. Onge.

If you need something to rev your Holiday engine, you might try starting with the latest LCBO Food & Drink magazine. Weighing in at a hefty 865 grams (25 grams lighter than last year), not only will you be ready for your holiday party plans, you will find lots of great ideas that suit the chilly days that are inevitably coming ahead.

What tickled your fancy in this issue?

Plan ahead: The Winter issue hits the stores 9 weeks from today on Wednesday, January 11th.

At present it is 16ºC. Going to a high of 18ºC. UV Index of 3. Cloudy and a 70% chance of showers. Since this past Friday, the days have started their descent into darkness. The only thing summer at my house is the LCBO Food & Drink magazine. With the latest issue being released today, I intend to spend my morning warming up in its gloriously colourful pages.

This issue is brimming with salads, salads and more salads. As the bounty is already starting to come off the fields (my first CSA pickup with Roots and Shoots Farm starts tomorrow!), there are so many wonderful combinations that can make the colours and tastes on your dinner table pop.

I loved seeing the many strawberry recipes as well. The season is well underway in our zone, but it won’t last long. So if there is something in the Strawberry Social segment calling out to you, make it without delay. I hope you will have good luck finding beautiful, juicy local berries.

What caught my attention in this issue? Here are some of the highlights.

Baby Back Ribs on Maple Planks (From What’s New On The Q by James Chatto and Robert Rainford)

The Summer Playlist is solid with great tunes meant to make you relaxed and mellow. With the likes of Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, Fontella Bass and James Brown, I recommend not using glassware for your drinks. You are are high risk of melting blissfully away in your lawn chair. The only one missing seems to be Barry White. Rick Shurman and Earl Torno have done it again. If you have to have it, you can get it on iTunes.

Do you have a soft spot for ‘sensible decor touches’? In Inspired Ideas by Brenda Morrison, I was immediately attracted to the colourful Västlig Gardening bags from IKEA. They look very sharp used as vases!

The Early Summer issue of the LCBO’s Food & Drink Magazine was released in stores today!!

For those that may have caught a glimpse of the cover on their website recently, I can only assume that you have your own hardcopy in your hot little hands as we speak.

Being a bit of a fact hound, I happen to know that I am exactly 1.7 kms from 3 different outlets. It does seem a bit ‘DanBrownesque’ that I am in this equidistant triangle. My house is some sort of liquor mecca perhaps? For those that know me, you would agree that it is a bit overzealous coverage for my party needs. But there are times when such closeness serves me well. And today was one of those days. My favourite outlet at Kirkwood and Richmond had empty magazine racks when I dropped in at 9:30 this morning. (The Easter holidays had slowed things up. Perhaps by Noon they said.) This could have been very unsettling, but in my case, I just carried on down the road to option two. And voilà!

The Early Summer issue is my second favourite next to the Holiday edition. It tends to scream new season in a way you can actually trust and believe. The winter fatigue is loosening its hold and we are pushing forth from our stale cocoons much like the buds and blooms around us.

This issue is more than pretty. It is packed with tempting recipes perfect for family time and party time. As I was racing through the pages I was struck by how dead easy so many recipes appear to be. Perfect timing with Mother’s Day just weeks away.

I may just refer to this as ‘The Lucy Edition’ with so many of Ms. Waverman’s creations tucked between the pages.

I had a good chuckle at The Family Weekend Playlist. Rick Shurman and Earl Torno included some oldie goldies like When You’re In Love With a Beautiful Woman by Dr. Hook and Let Your Love Flow by The Bellamy Brothers. Family Weekend Playlist? More like Making Family Weekend Playlist! They did include some dock rockers like Sunny Days by Lighthouse, Down On the Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles. A great list nonetheless and worth a look. You can purchase it online.

Plan ahead: The Summer issue hits the stores 9 weeks from today on Wednesday, June 29th.

Now time to curl up for a more leisurely browse as I nurse my second Flat White.

My local LCBO now opens at 9:30 am and guess who was first in line to snatch up the new glossy?

After the Holiday Issue, this is probably my favourite. Not so much because of the expected great recipes, but for what it represents. The Spring issue gives hope that winter is ending and with it goes all this snow! With a snow fall warning in effect as we speak, I need all the ‘uplifting’ I can get.

Some inclusions did seem out of place though. I suppose someone at the magazine is VERY keen to move winter along when I find myself reading about wild leeks (ramps) and rhubarb! The Early Summer issue is coming out on April 27 and it struck me that What’s Fresh For Dinner by Lucy Waverman may have been better suited for contemplation in 7 weeks time. Where does one find a wild leek in March??? Bless her for getting us juiced up.

I still found plenty of fresh recipes to get me thinking about spring and the brighter days ahead.

I was nervous to see Whoopie Pies tucked into the pages. I hear it is the new cupcake. Yikes! Imagine Whoopie Pie stores popping up like dandelions all around town.

GOOD NEWS: Crate and Barrel’s companion store, CB2 is coming to Toronto in the spring to the corner of Bathurst and Queen St. West.

Check out Natalie MacLean’s Spring Wine & Cheese article where she pairs Chilean whites with some great cheeses. You will also want to brush up on the solid advice given for Hosting A Wine and Cheese.

The Spring Playlist is again by Rick Shurman and Earl Torno and available for purchase. They appear to have a continued fondness for Diana Krall, which I fully endorse! They included her Isn’t This a Lovely Day? and I’ve Got You Under My Skin. Other favourites for me are Norah Jones, Boz Scaggs, Van Morrison and The Chieftains, and Eric Clapton.

Pick up your copy right away. Let it be your power play for getting out of this long winter alive!